Amy and Clara
by TheStolenTARDIS
Summary: When the weeping angel killed Rory, the Doctor convinced Amy to keep travelling with him. Now, Amy and the Doctor are both depressed because of their loss, and the Doctor takes Amy to Victorian London to try and cheer her up. While they are there, they run into an interesting problem with snow and an even more interesting girl.
1. Chapter 1

_Amy stroked her husband's face with the back of her hand. She watched as he closed his eyes lovingly and titled his face in order to kiss her palm._

"_I love you so much, Amy," Rory told her as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. _

_His big nose brushed against her cheek and she sighed, happy with the knowledge that she was with her husband. She tried putting a leg over his waist to hold him even closer, but the sheets trapped her leg. They were soon thrown off the bed in annoyance. Now she could pull him closer._

_Amy smiled and looked into his hazel eyes. "I love you too, Rory. More than you can ever know."_

_He kissed her gently and rolled her onto her back with him on top of her. His weight didn't bother her; he always tried his best to keep his weight off of her when they were in this position. Rory could never even dream of hurting her, even if it was just from this. _

_Rory kissed his way down her neck running his hands softly up and down her sides, tickling her. He leaned back, about to pull her lace nighty off, but he paused. He couldn't move. He didn't even seem confused. He just looked at her the same way he always did, with undying love. Amy, however, had an expression of horror on her face. Stone hands had wrapped around Rory's torso. _

_Before Amy could react properly, the angel started pulling him away from her. She lunged for him, but he was already out of reach. In an instant, he was pulled off the bed and dragged backwards into darkness. The angel's smiling face remained and it just stared at her as she began to scream._

* * *

><p>Amy sat up in bed instantly, her scream echoing into real life. In an instant, her bedroom door burst open and strong arms were wrapped around her in a hug. She knew it was the Doctor, but she wanted it so badly to be Rory. The Doctor held her and stroked her hair while singing to her gently in Gallifreyan. Her screams calmed, and she turned around and cried into his shoulder.<p>

"I-I m-mi-miss hi-him s-so m-much, Doctor!" she wailed.

Amy desperately wished the Doctor could do something to fix the hole in her chest. The hole where her heart had been ripped out when her husband died. When he got taken by a weeping angel.

The Doctor paused in his singing and kissed her softly on the top of her head.

"I miss him too, Amy. I miss him too."

The cold tears that splashed onto her head let her know that the Doctor was crying as well. She knew how much he hated seeing her sad, and Rory had been his best friend and his father in-law. He had a right to be sad, just as Amy was. If it could even be called sad in Amy's case. She felt broken, and empty. Her chest hurt all the time, and everything felt difficult. There wasn't a single moment when she didn't think about Rory. How he should be with her. She didn't even get to give him a proper goodbye. His death had been so sudden, and the look on his face before she lost him forever constantly haunted her memories.

About an hour passed before Amy stopped crying, but the Doctor did not relinquish his hold on her. Amy was glad of that. For now, she just needed his strong arms wrapped around her and the gentle way he sang to her. She had no idea what he was singing, but it was so beautiful and calming. Her last thought before she fell back to sleep was that she wouldn't have any more nightmares that night because she was with her Doctor.

* * *

><p>Amy sleepily blinked open her eyes and rolled over onto her back. She was sore from all the crying she had done last night, and the tossing and turning that had no doubt ensued before she woke up screaming. The spot next to her was empty since she still had a queen sized bed. She had not let the Doctor redecorate her room after… she couldn't even bring herself to think about it right now. For now, she just felt numb.<p>

Once she got up, she dressed carelessly, not even worrying about her looks. She didn't put on makeup with the assumption that she would just end up crying it off later. After making a cup of tea, she went to the console room where there would no doubt be the Doctor fiddling with one thing or another.

"Amy!" he called excitedly when he saw her coming down the stairs.

She walked towards him slowly, not even looking at him. The TARDIS was… different. The Doctor had redecorated. He had been talking about doing it for a while, but he had never gotten around to it. She didn't like it. All the whimsical looking levers, switches, and buttons on the console had been replaced. The complicated chaos it used to be was now in order, but it was complicated in a way that screamed mad scientist. It looked cold. The orange light that had bathed the console room before was gone. It was now green and blue, and the floor was covered with gray metal. Everything about it seemed unfriendly.

"So, what do you think?" he asked when she stopped in front of him.

She just shook her head.

"What's wrong?"

"This place is going to make me feel like I've been abducted by an alien instead of running off with one."

The Doctor looked worried. "You don't want to leave, do you?"

She smiled at him sadly.

"Of course not, Doctor," she said before holding out her arms for their customary good morning hug.

Amy heard him breathe in her scent as he wrapped his arms around her. He did this every time they hugged. She had asked him about it once, and he told her that her scent was comforting. She'd laughed, but realized she had hurt his feelings. Sometimes it was just weird to be reminded that he was an alien.

A thought popped into her head. One that she was a bit nervous to voice, but…

"Will you sleep in my bed tonight?"

He pulled out of the hug, and held her at arms length, now examining her to see if anything was wrong.

Once he finished his examination and couldn't find anything that was worrisome he asked her, "Why?"

She pulled him close again before replying with, "I need someone with me. Doctor. I-I can't stand to be alone. It feels weird with just me in the bed."

The Doctor rubbed her back consolingly while she heard him mutter, "Oh, Pond."

"Doctor? Could you?"

The Doctor pulled her away again and looked into her eyes. "Yes, Amy. I'll stay with you tonight."

She smiled again, a genuine smile this time that didn't hold any sadness. "Thanks."

Now, Amy turned her attention to the Doctor. She was so distracted by the new look of the TARDIS that she hadn't realized he had a new look as well. He wasn't wearing his usual tweed. Instead, he was wearing brown boots, brown trousers, a burgundy vest with a gold fob watch and chain, a burgundy long coat which was decorated with black fur around the edges, and a brown top hat. He wore a black tie instead of a bow tie, which was strange. Amy hadn't seen him in a tie for over ten years.

"What's with the getup, Doctor?"

He let go of her and turned around, coattails swishing. He grabbed his top hat and held it to his chest with a dramatic bow once he was facing her again.

Amy was surprised to hear a laugh come out of her mouth at his behavior. She hadn't laughed in ages.

"I thought you would enjoy a nice trip to Victorian London," he answered once he had popped the top hat back on his head.

"I don't feel like going anywhere, though," she complained. To be honest, part of her only got out of bed to say hello to the Doctor, but she wasn't expecting him to take her on an adventure. It was… too soon.

His face fell. Amy could tell he was thinking it had been a bad idea to suggest it. He knew she was delicate right now, and he was a bit as well.

He smiled tentatively, trying to lighten the mood as he came closer again. "It'll be good for you, Amy. For both of us. We're going to get sick if we end up staying in here, depressed."

She turned away from him. She knew he was right, but she didn't want his help. It felt too hard to get dressed in the Victorian clothing and actually walk out the TARDIS doors.

"I know it'll be good for me, Doctor, but… you don't understand."

The Doctor came up behind her and began playing with her hair which bothered her just a bit. Sometimes his constant affection was annoying. It just seemed difficult to speak and reciprocate her feelings. Ever since Rory… No, she couldn't think the word; it would only make her cry, but ever since then, the Doctor had been more prone to touching her. Stroking her back, playing with her hair, rubbing her cheeks and arms, and holding her hand. She knew he meant good by it, but it hurt because it made her miss all the affectionate gestures that Rory would do.

"I do understand, Amy. I've… I've never told anyone this, but I've been battling with depression since I was a child. It's always been difficult for me, especially..." he breathed deeply before continuing, "especially since I've killed so many. It weighs on my hearts, along with the people I've lost. Trust me, I understand more than anyone else. I'll make sure we get through this together."

Amy turned around to face him, touched by his words, and somewhat glad they had broken through the numb shell around her, even if it did make the pain return for a bit.

"Alright, Doctor. I'll go with you."

The Doctor jumped back and clapped his hands together excitedly, "Okay, I'll find something for you to wear."

He dashed out of sight, presumably making his way to the TARDIS wardrobe. Amy waited patiently, not at all worried about what he would pick for her. He always knew what she looked good in.

After a few minutes, the Doctor returned with a dress in tow, and he was also hiding a few more items behind his back. The dress would have been beautiful to Amy if she cared, but she didn't. The long-sleeved dress was burgundy for the most part. The bodice had black frill trim at the top, with burgundy laces crisscrossing underneath. A deep blue was underneath the laces and, where the crisscrossing of the laces ended, the bodice was burgundy, with a black stripe running up and down it every inch or so. Frill at the waist made way into the two-layered skirt. The top layer was also burgundy and lined with more frill. It was only on the sides and back of the skirt and it stopped a foot before the bottom of the other layer. The other layer of the skirt was the same blue that was on the bodice and it was interspersed with more burgundy frill. Amy eyed it warily, waiting for the Doctor to tell her about a corset.

As if the Doctor read her mind he told her, "There's a corset that goes along with it, but if you're not comfortable, you don't have to wear it."

Amy had never worn a corset before and they sounded painful, but if they were going to Victorian London, she wanted to fit in. She'd been slouching anyway since… Maybe it would help her posture a bit.

"No, it's fine, Doctor. I'll wear it."

"You do realize that means I have to help you get dressed."

Amy shrugged, not really caring if her best friend saw her naked. It's not like he hadn't seen her like that before.

"Okay, to your room then, Ms. Pond."

The two of them walked to her room where she instantly began undressing without care. Once she was only in her knickers, the Doctor instructed her to lift her arms over her head and she complied with him. He then slipped a plain, white blouse over her before putting the corset around her torso. She felt him pull on it till it hurt. And then he kept pulling. Amy whimpered as the pain increased.

He leaned over and said quietly in her ear, "You don't have to wear this."

"Just finish tying it," she instructed in a mutter.

"Okay."

After a few minutes and more pain and a crushing feeling around her waist, stomach, and lungs the Doctor finished tying up the back of the corset. She turned around and he handed her some stockings with hooks to connect to the corset. Those, she put on herself.

He held up something that resembled the outline of a basket not yet finished, and it had straps connecting to it.

"Um…" the Doctor started, obviously feeling uncomfortable with the next part of her getting dressed. "You'll have to stand up with your legs apart."

Amy did as he asked. She wasn't uncomfortable with the current situation seeing as she was too numb to even care.

"What is it that you're putting on me?"

"It's a bustle. Now, just hold still."

The Doctor pulled it around her and tied the chords around her waist and hips.

"Okay, Amy, this part might be weird."

He leaned down and pulled some chords around her upper thighs and tied them. Amy noticed that he was trying his best to not touch her. She was thankful for that seeing as she was a bit sensitive over there, and feeling anything like that would only make her miss Rory even more.

He straightened and clapped his hands together. "Okay, Pond. I think you can manage the dress on your own."

Thankfully, she could. Well, thankfully because she could tell the Doctor felt a bit uncomfortable with the situation, but the way he was looking at her made her feel like she had to try her best to act happy today. He was worried about her and was looking for any sign that she was about to break down crying.

"Doctor, I'll be okay," she reassured him once the dress was on.

He smiled at her hopefully before asking, "Is it alright if I do your hair? I know you probably don't want to, but I want to make you look even more beautiful."

That's when Amy felt another pang in her chest. The Doctor kept reminding her of Rory with all the nice gestures he was making. Amy's throat tightened and a lone tear betrayed her hopes for the day.

The Doctor was close to her in a second, catching the tear on his finger.

Amy smiled at him to let him know that she would try her best to make sure there would be no more tears that day. Then, she turned around and he began to do her hair.

When he was finished, he led her over to a mirror to show her his work. Her hair was intertwined in circular braids on the right side of her head, and they all came together to form one large braid over her shoulder.

The Doctor ran his hand over her hair as he said, "I'm not going to ask you what you think because I know it doesn't matter to you right now, but just know that you look amazing. And don't worry," he smiled, "you don't need makeup. Personally, I never thought you did."

She turned around and hugged him as best she could with all the various undergarments she was wearing. "Thank you, Doctor."

When he stepped away, a shawl matching the blue on her dress was wrapped around her shoulders, and she looped it around her arms, grateful that the Doctor had given her something to provide her with warmth.

"Now, sit down so I can put on your shoes."

Amy sat on her bed and lifted her skirt for him, holding out her stockinged feet. The Doctor produced some black boots that had to be laced up, and he placed each foot in one and tied the laces for her.

Once she was standing again he asked her, "So, how do you feel about Christmas?"

"Victorian London during Christmas? Sounds like something I might actually enjoy. Let's get going."

Amy still didn't really want to go, but she dragged the Doctor to the console room with her, trying her best to be happy. Maybe if she pretended to be happy, then she really would be.

"Woah, Amy slow down," the Doctor cried, startled by her sudden burst of excitement. At least, that's what it looked like to him. "We're not going directly to Christmas. We're going to Christmas Eve's Eve."

Amy giggled earnestly at his choice of words. "Doctor, only kids say Christmas Eve's Eve."

She watched as his hands went to his neck to try and straighten a bow tie that wasn't there. Instead, he just ran his hand down his tie in embarrassment.

A slight blush crept into his cheeks before he started circling his way around the console, flipping switches and pressing buttons. Amy was surprised to realize that his energy seemed fake as well, but she knew she shouldn't mention it. They both had to pretend for each other's sake.

After a good deal of wheezing and groaning from the TARDIS, they landed.

Amy ran to the doors waiting to pull them open, but first, "Where are we exactly?"

"On a super dense cloud. And don't worry, I had the TARDIS put a staircase and a ladder to the ground for us."

"Oh? Can't anyone see it?"

"Nope," he smiled, and this time it was a bit smug. "It's invisible."

Amy opened the doors and was met with cold, biting air and a night sky that she couldn't help but think was beautiful. She hadn't seen the stars in so long. She stepped out of the TARDIS before looking down at the ground. Well, she forgot it wouldn't be the ground. She rather wished she hadn't looked down because when she did she jumped and got a churning feeling in her stomach. She was standing on a cloud?

She took another tentative step forward, just waiting for herself to fall.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS behind her and closed the doors with a snap of his fingers.

He noticed her unease, and told her, "Don't worry. Like I said, super dense cloud. If it makes you feel any better I'll walk to the stairs first."

Amy just nodded her head, unable to take her eyes away from the cloud that was swirling around her feet. She did however, force her eyes upwards as she watched the Doctor walk across the cloud towards the railing where the staircase was. He held out his hand, ready to take it when she walked over to him.

Once she was on the edge of the cloud, she peered over cautiously. They were up very high. She could almost see all of London from up here!

The Doctor cleared his throat, letting her know that he was getting a bit impatient. Amy rolled her eyes and took his hand in hers. He led her down the stairs to a platform. She couldn't see the ladder, but the Doctor grabbed onto the edge and he fell away with a rattling sound.

She leaned over the edge to see if he was okay, and was surprised to see a ladder that went all the way down to the ground and he was waving up at her. Amy climbed down the ladder which the Doctor then gave a shove to and it went flying up. She could no longer see it. She couldn't even see the platform or the stairs. Amy figured the Doctor had just waved in her general direction earlier, knowing that she would see him.

He held out his arm and she grasped it and they began walking through the snowy park that they were in.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know. Just walking around. We'll probably find something that'll catch our eye."

That something led them into an alley with a girl and a snowman that had an evil grin on its face.


	2. Chapter 2

"Did you build this snowman?" the girl in the alleyway asked him.

The Doctor felt bad that the girl had totally ignored Amy who was leaning against a wall in the alley. The girl seemed to only have eyes for him.

"No," the Doctor answered, about to grab Amy and walk away. He was too upset to be bothered with anything, really.

"Then who did? Because it wasn't here a second ago."

That made him stop. He turned around and walked back to the girl, and he smiled at her, taking out the reading glasses that Amy had given to him. He observed the snowman. At first it seemed like ordinary snow, but then he touched it. Something prickled at his mind. What was that? Instead of dropping the snow, he continued holding it. He could feel… something. Maybe it was a low-level telepathic field.

He started dropping the snow slowly from his hand while telling the girl, "Low-level telepathic field. Maybe it's snow that's fallen before. Maybe it remembers how to make snowmen."

"Snow that can remember? That's silly."

"What's wrong with silly."

"Nothin'. Still talking to you, ain't I?"

The Doctor dropped the remainder of the snow and brushed his hand on his long coat. Was she flirting with him? He had the urge to straighten a bow tie that wasn't there. He glanced uncomfortably at Amy and he caught her rolling her eyes.

He glanced back at the girl, now curious. She was very pretty as well, with brown hair that curled around her shoulders and a lovely red dress that fit her frame perfectly. The Doctor mentally slapped himself before his thoughts could continue.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"Clara."

"Well, it's a nice name. You should definitely keep it."

The Doctor grabbed Amy's arm and the two of them strode out of the alley together.

The Doctor heard footsteps behind him and then, "Oi! Where are you goin'? I thought we was just gettin' acquainted."

That last sentence made him think of Rory. His best friend. Sometimes he didn't seem to care about him that much, but the truth was, he had loved him like a brother. Which come to think about it was a bit odd in their situation, but no matter, it still hurt him that he was gone. Not as much as Amy of course, but it reminded him of all the other companions he had lost. Together, he and Amy had been alone for quite some time. He had the feeling that Amy would end up being his last companion ever.

He turned back to Clara and smiled at her sadly. "Those were the days."

Amy tugged on his arm, and they continued walking. Quickly. They were halfway back to the park by the time the Doctor noticed where they were going. He stopped and she ended up gripping his hand.

"Amy, what's wrong?"

"I just want to go back to the TARDIS."

"We've only been outside for at least a quarter of an hour. We should stay."

Amy took a deep breath and turned back to him. "Alright. It'll be hard to convince you to come with me I suppose and I don't want to be in there on my own."

The Doctor led her away from the park and found an empty carriage. The driver was more than happy to give them a ride around the city for a few pounds.

Once the trip had continued quietly for a few minutes, Amy broke the silence with, "Nice to see you taking an interest."

"What are you talking about?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, you know. Clara."

The Doctor blushed, now wishing that he hadn't flirted with her in front of Amy.

"I thought she was pretty." Now the Doctor was too embarrassed to even look at her, and he settled for looking out the window instead. Ooh! It was beginning to snow.

"What happened to River?" Amy questioned.

"Hm?"

"You know, River. Your wife, my daughter."

Now Amy was reaching a subject he really didn't want to talk about. To be honest, he was mad at River. He had asked her to travel with him and Amy and she had straight out refused! Why had she refused to travel with her husband and mother? What was wrong with that woman? The Doctor huffed in exasperation, causing Amy to raise her eyebrows.

"I don't want to talk about her," the Doctor said gruffly.

"Okay, but you're still married to her Doctor. You can't flirt with every pretty girl you see."

The Doctor smiled, remembering when he had first travelled with Amy.

"I remember when someone had to tell you to stop looking at every man when you were engaged to Rory."

Amy slapped him playfully. "Oi! Watch it! You were the only other man I'd been looking at."

"Oh that's right. I remember now. You attacked me the night before your wedding."

Now it was Amy's turn to blush.

"I didn't attack you, Doctor. You know that very well."

He shrugged. Part of him was still thinking about Clara. How he just wanted to hold her to him and kiss her, and run a hand through her hair. He wondered if it would be softer than River's. Another mental slap stopped his thoughts right there. Amy was right, he shouldn't be thinking about Clara like that.

"That girl can't find us again, can she Doctor?"

"No, Amy. Don't worry. She doesn't even have the name, Doctor."

That was when the top of the carriage burst open and the Doctor and Amy jumped back in their seats in surprise. Poking out from the top of the carriage was Clara's head.

"Doctor? Doctor who?" She questioned.

The Doctor panicked, not sure of what to do, and he knocked her on top of the head, causing her to lose consciousness. Then, with some difficulty, the Doctor dragged her into the carriage with them.

"Doctor! What is wrong with you?" Amy asked, just as startled as he was.

"What was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know! Not knock her out!"

That's when they heard the voice of the driver. "Everything all right in there?"

"Yes, everything's fine," the Doctor called.

"No, Doctor. It's not fine. Stop the carriage!"

The carriage stopped at Amy's command and she angrily stomped out, leaving the door open. The Doctor followed her, promptly closing the door and locking it with his sonic screwdriver. He wanted to talk to Clara when she woke up.

Amy paced while she waited for the Doctor to walk up to her.

Once he stood in front of her, he braced himself for the onslaught of words that would no doubt ensue.

"What the hell was that about, Doctor?"

"What?" he asked irritably. He really didn't want to be arguing. He felt to tired to do such a thing. Amy probably was too, but there was fire in her eyes.

"You can't just go around whacking innocent girls on the head."

The image of doing just that came to mind and the Doctor had the urge to giggle, but no. He mentally slapped himself again. What was wrong with himself today?

"Yes, I know that Amy."

Amy crossed her arms. "If I find out that you only did that so you could spend more time with her, I'm going to take your sonic screwdriver and beat you into next tuesday with it." The Doctor raised a finger to interrupt, but Amy already knew what he was going to say. "And don't tell me it's not possible. You have a time machine. It's entirely possible."

The Doctor lowered his hand, and cast his gaze downward. There was nothing to do now but wait until she woke up.

* * *

><p>Clara opened her eyes and instantly put a hand to her already pounding head. Damn, that hurt! Anger flared inside of her when she remembered it was the man she had met earlier who had whacked her.<p>

_Oh, good job, Clara. You meet a dashing young man and he has a habit of hitting women._

She was just glad to see that he wasn't in the carriage with her, or the woman who had been with him before. Clara didn't really fancy seeing her again. Her height, flaming hair, and smoldering eyes helped with that.

After fixing her hair and her dress she tried the handle on the door. It didn't move. She tried it again before she started banging against the door. Ah! What mess had she gotten herself into? Since the door still wouldn't open, there was nothing to do but call for her captor.

"Oi! Doctor! Let me out! I am going to kick you right in the arse when I see your stupid face again! Let me out!"

Each word she yelled was accentuated with a bang on the door. Finally, the door opened, and he stepped inside.

She breathed heavily, aware that he had closed the door and it was just the two of them.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you," he told her, which wasn't very reassuring seeing as he already had. The way he looked at her before was kind, but now he just seemed… dark.

"Can you promise me that?"

He looked deeply into her eyes. So deeply that she felt he had reached her mind. She shook the thought away, knowing that mind-reading was a silly notion.

"Yes."

"Why did you kidnap me then?"

He seemed astonished at that question.

"Kidnapped? I didn't kidnap you," he blurted out in a voice that was nearly loud enough to count as a shout.

"You knocked me out an' locked me in a carriage. I think that qualifies as kidnappin'."

The man who was apparently called "Doctor" growled and she pulled her head back in shock.

After a few moments of tense silence he said, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Clara wasn't going to tell him it was alright because it certainly wasn't. This man had growled at her. Strange. Most men didn't really do that. He infuriated her, and she was scared, but at the same time he was so fascinating. What was his name?

With no answer from her, the man continued, "So, Clara who?"

"Doctor who?" she instantly retorted.

"Oh, dangerous questions," the man told her in a gravelly voice.

This _Doctor_ intrigued her, so Clara couldn't help leaning closer to him when she said, "What's wrong with dangerous?"

There was a snap and the carriage door opened, showing the tall red-headed woman who had been with the Doctor earlier.

When she spoke her accent was definitely Scottish. "You two aren't snogging in here are you?"

Clara was absolutely astounded by how straightforward this woman was. Any private moments were kept that way; never spoken of.

"No, we most certainly weren't," Clara answered seeing as the Doctor was a bit tongue tied, and he was blushing. Oh! He fancied her! This surprised Clara a bit, but she had caught the eye of many a man since her adolescence.

"Good, now," she turned to the man, "Doctor, what are we going to do with her?"

"Do with me? You shouldn't talk about me like I'm not here."

Much to her dismay, the two of them did just that.

"We can't get rid of her."

The woman huffed in exasperation and crossed her arms. "Why not?"

"Well, that would be rude!" the man sounded scandalized with the idea.

"Fine, but, she's not coming with us, is she?"

Coming with them? They couldn't just take her away!

The Doctor looked at her for a while. Thinking. His intense gaze made her uncomfortable.

"No, I suppose she isn't."

"Good, then get her out of the carriage."

"What if I wanted to talk to her for a bit?"

"No."

The Doctor muttered something under his breath, a few curses no doub,t and turned to her.

"But, Doctor, what about the snowmen?"

"Well, it's a low-level telepathic field. It seems to reflect people's thoughts and memories. Because it's unusual it seems to carry the previous shape of-"

"Doctor!" Clara cried because in that instance, another snowman popped out of the ground behind his friend.

The snowman emitted a hiss, causing the woman to shriek and quickly turn around. The Doctor jumped out of the carriage and brought her with him. Once they were out, he still hadn't let go of her hand.

"How is it here?" she asked him.

"Well, were you thinking about it?"

"Yes."

Another snowman popped out of the ground with a hiss, and the Doctor took a step back.

He spoke, the first word dragged out unusually, "Well, stop.

With the emergence of another one, he shouted at her, "Clara! Stop thinking about the snowmen!"

More and more kept popping out of the ground and they began to growl, blowing snow and wind out of their mouths at them. The Doctor grabbed her and his friend with a cry, "Get down."

His friend hunched near him, but he didn't protect her. Instead he put his hands on her face and told her, "Clara, listen to me. The snow's feeding off your thoughts."

The growling and hissing continued, and she was very frightened.

"I don't understand."

The snow swirled around them as he tried to explain to her. "You're causing their telepathic field, they're mirroring you."

_What was the word telepathic supposed to mean?_

"The more you think about the snowmen, the more they appear."

The Doctor was right, they just kept coming, and they were getting closer and closer. She shivered as the snow around them began to build up and the flakes bit at her exposed arms.

"Imagine them melting. Picture it. Picture them melting!"

The last words he shouted, which shocked her, but she did as he said. All the snowmen with their sharp teeth were melting.

A large spray of water coated the three of them and Clara and the other woman gasped. Clara slowly opened her eyes and looked around. The snowmen were gone and puddles of water stood in their places.

The Doctor let go of her face and began patting the upper part of her thighs.

"Well, very good. Very, very good," he told her like she was some sort of pet.

He stood up before letting out a please laugh. She however, couldn't stand yet, so she settled for sitting with her back against one of the carriage's wheels. The Doctor's friend kneeled across from her, and the three of them were all drenched with ice cold water.

"Will it happen again?" she questioned.

He turned around, still smiling. "Well, if it does, you know what to do about it."

She stood up without bothering to help the Doctor's friend up. That woman was rude anyway.

After the Doctor helped his friend up she asked, "Shouldn't we be warning people about the snow?"

Much to her surprise, the Doctor picked her up and placed her in the carriage before saying, "Not my problem. Now, don't come looking for me again." He closed the carriage door with a loud snap. "Merry Christmas!"

She didn't try the handle knowing it was going to be locked, but wait… he didn't lock the door on the other side.

Clara watched as the man gave some instructions to the driver, and the woman took his arm and they walked off into the fog that had settled on the night. Right before the carriage drove off, Clara had made her way out the other side. Now, she could follow these strange people to see where they went.

Clara wasn't very keen on seeing that woman again, but the Doctor was an interesting man. All the men around here were boring. They were too proper, and besides, she had always craved adventure.

She held up her skirts and jogged after them in order to keep up with their long legs. By God, the woman was almost as tall as him! She followed the two of them to a park, and the Doctor was whistling "Silent Night". It sounded eerie when they were the only ones wandering about the still night.

With a huff of exertion, the Doctor jumped up and caught something that held him in place for a bit. But, there was nothing there. Then, he touched back down to the ground with a ladder. Where had that come from? She saw him gesture to the woman to climb up first and after climbing a few feet she disappeared. The Doctor looked around and Clara swore he almost saw her in her hiding place behind a few standing barrels. Satisfied that no one was there, he climbed up the ladder after his friend, and then it disappeared, into… _what _exactly?

After about half a minute, Clara ran to the spot they had been at. She looked up and still couldn't see anything, but she jumped anyway and reached for the sky. Not catching anything, she fell into the snow on her back. With a _hmph_ she got back up and brushed herself up. She was determined to follow them to wherever they were going.

Clara gathered her skirts off the ground and went for it at a run this time. She jumped as high as she could and was satisfied to find that her hands had touched metal and she was hanging a foot off the ground. The ladder dragged down and she touched the ground again. She brought the rest of the ladder down to the ground with her and looked up it. Still nothing.

Clara climbed the ladder and reached a platform that didn't seem connected to anything. This was amazing. It seemed as if she was in the sky. Her attention was brought to a metal spiral staircase that looked like it just went up and up and up; never stopping. With a tentative footfall, she went up the first step. And then the next one. She felt braver the higher she got. It looked dangerous being in the sky like this, but the stairs hadn't given out on her yet. Then, she was at the top.

She looked out and saw a large cloud spread out before her, and right in the middle of it was a large, blue box. The box looked weathered and beaten, but alien; just sitting there on a cloud. She had to admit that it was also somewhat majestic. On this cloud, above the world. It felt alive, and that it was looking at her.

Clara looked down at her feet. She couldn't see them. The top of the cloud was swirling around them. She took a hesitant step, hoping she wouldn't fall. She didn't.

_She was standing on a cloud!_

The thought made her giddy with excitement and she giggled.

Clara was unsure of what to do at this point. Maybe the Doctor and his friend were in the box together. If they were she had an idea of what they were up to, seeing as it was a bit too small for two people. She walked up to the door and knocked, a bit guilty of interrupting a private moment.

The door began to open and Clara quickly hid on the other side of the box, not wanting the Doctor to see her. She had just wanted to know if he was in there. He stepped out with yet another growl coming from his throat.

Clara took a sharp intake of breath.

_Oh God! I hope he doesn't find me! _

"Hello?" his voice carried easily through the night sky.

He began walking around to where she was, so she edged herself along the edge until she was behind it. He almost chased her around the box and she just had enough time to go along the front and make her way to the stairs and down them a ways before he came around from the back.

Unbeknownst to her, seeing as she was too busy with the escape, she had dropped her shawl at the foot of the stairs.

The Doctor had found it. And he knew her smell. He knew she had been there. Oh, he knew.


	3. Chapter 3

"Doctor? Who was out there?" Amy asked when the Doctor eventually made his way back into the TARDIS. He was hiding something behind his back.

"Oh...um. No one."

Amy could tell he was lying to her. Besides, they were on a cloud, they wouldn't get a knock on the door unless they'd been followed.

Amy raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, really? Then what's that you're hiding behind your back?"

She took a step closer, making him take a step back.

"Nothing. Just go change."

Amy rolled her eyes at him once again, but went into her room and changed back into the skirt and blouse she had been wearing earlier.

She glanced at her bed and wondered if she should get back into it. She was tired. Her mind was tired. Amy curled up on her bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. Hopefully the Doctor wouldn't come looking for her. Her chest was growing heavy again and she felt as if she just needed to scream and cry.

* * *

><p>The Doctor was relieved when Amy went back to her room. He held out the shawl in front of him and sighed. What was he going to do about Clara? After giving the shawl another sniff or two-he really couldn't help himself-he put it in the closet with all the other clothes he had picked up on his travels.<p>

He then looked around the newly decorated TARDIS. He liked it. It suited his mood. There wasn't much light in the console room, which he liked. Light just seemed to be laughing at him lately. Like it was trying to tell him he was being cowardly for running from it. For wanting the dark. It seemed to be telling him to be happy, but he just couldn't be. It was impossible. He had lost one of the best friends he had ever had.

The Doctor thought about all those years alone that Rory had suffered through before he died. If Rory could see him again, and knew what he had done, he would hate him. The Doctor hated himself right now. It was his fault that Rory had died alone, without Amy. It was the Doctor's selfishness that made all this happen. It was his fault that Amy was broken.

When the weeping angel had taken Rory, he convinced Amy to come back into the TARDIS. He had told her that she wasn't meant to die like that. Besides, the gravestone had only Rory's name on it, even before he died. He made her think that that meant she wasn't supposed to look away. That it was meant only for him. The Doctor was just scared to see her gone. To see her name appear underneath her husband's on the gravestone.

That's why River didn't want to travel with him. She despised him just as much as he despised himself. She knew that Amy could've looked away. The angel would've taken her back to Rory. He had broken her mother's heart. In turn, he had broken hers.

_Nothing to be done for it now, Doctor. You did this to yourself. To them._

The Doctor sat back in one of the seats by the console and laughed darkly. He knew he did this to himself. Part of him enjoyed the pain that he was feeling because he knew he deserved it. He never deserved happiness. He ruined people's lives wherever he went. He killed, and he made others kill. No one like that deserved happiness. He only deserved the madness in his head. The madness that was now making him laugh at his own darkness.

* * *

><p>It took Clara quite a long while to fall back to sleep once she was in her bed at The Rose and Crown. She was still thinking about her strange encounter with the Doctor, and she couldn't wait to tell Francesca and Digby about him in some wild story. She was always good at making up stories for those children.<p>

Clara was sad that they had lost their mother and she was more than happy to pretend she was a governess in order to take care of them. It was Christmas Eve tomorrow, so she'd be staying with them until they went back to school.

Clara was also excited to see their father, Captain Latimer. He was quite a handsome fellow, and the short while she'd been his children's governess he had already taken a liking to her. Clara knew she shouldn't let herself fancy the man she was working for, but then again, she also shouldn't fancy the man who had kidnapped her.

Once sleep took her, the dreams that filled her mind were strange. Sometimes she had to protect Francesca and Digby from the snowmen, and sometimes they weren't there. It was just her and the Doctor. He was the one protecting her. Sometimes there weren't even snowmen and they were just strolling along, and every once in a while he'd take her into an alley and steal quite a few more kisses than was proper. Sometimes he would step back and the man who had been kissing her was Captain Latimer. He didn't replace the Doctor that often, but certainly enough to make her confused and send her heart aflutter. Well, more than it already was.

Her dreams were so confusing that when she awoke, she was anxious to be on her way. Clara quickly dressed into what she had been wearing the day before and packed her few belongings in the one suitcase that she owned.

She descended the stairs to the common room of the inn, and made her way into the kitchen. It was early so breakfast was just beginning to be made. The other maids were already awake, and they were helping Agnes, the cook, with breakfast.

The youngest, a plump blonde, went up to her and grabbed her arm. "Do you really have to go?" she asked in distress.

"Yes, Lucy, but don't you worry. I'll be back in a few days."

"You promise?"

"Lucy," Agnes called from her spot near the oven, her accent a heavy Russian one, "You didn't clean out this oven last night like I asked you."

"You best go do as she says," Clara warned her, "Lest she'll take your 'ead off with a spoon."

With a goodbye smile, Lucy hopped off to do her chores.

Clara didn't bother saying bye to Agnes. The old woman hated everyone anyways. It seemed to be a common personality trait of foreigners.

Just as she was walking out the back door into the alley where she had first met the Doctor, the innkeeper, Charles, caught up with her.

"Clara, do you really have to go?"

Clara almost laughed, seeing as that was the second time she'd been asked that in the last minute.

"Yes, I do, but I'll be back soon."

Charles anxiously rubbed his hands on a cloth that he always kept in his pocket. He knew she was a good worker and that the guests liked her. It wouldn't do to have her leave.

"Where is it that you are going? I-If I may ask."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Merry Christmas."

With a smile and a kiss blown to Charles, she was off to the carriage that was already waiting for her.

She nodded a good morning at the carriage driver.

"Same address you gave me yesterday, miss?"

"It is, and don't go about in a hurry. I don't want it to look as if I've been doin' something I ain't supposed to."

Clara almost laughed at what she said because she really was about to do something she wasn't supposed to. Most people would think her silly for pretending to be of a higher class than she actually was, but she had learned all the niceties and she had even perfected the accent.

"As you are, miss."

Clara smiled at him and made her way into the carriage.

As soon as it started moving she began to change. She was now wearing a blue dress fit for a woman of the middle class. She did her hair as well, looping it around in a tight bun which she then added a feathered hat to. She had finished just in time, seeing as the carriage was just pulling up to the Latimer residence.

"Good morning, Miss Montague!" the maid Alice called as she stepped from the carriage.

"Alice! So good to see you." Clara wasn't sure whether to inquire upon something that was pricking at her mind or not, but it slipped from her mouth before she properly thought it through. "How is Captain Latimer?"

"Fine, fine." Alice snuck her a knowing, mischievous look. "If this is a visit for Captain Latimer rather than the children, perhaps it would have been more appropriate for you to come around back."

Clara blushed, wishing she could shove the words back in her mouth, but she continued with dignity. "And how are the children?"

"Francesca's been having nightmares again, but I'm sure Captain Latimer can fill you in. Shall I take you to his study?"

"That would be lovely. Thank you."

Alice grabbed Clara's suitcase, and after dropped it off at her rooms. She then brought her to Captain Latimer's study, where he was already waiting for her.

When she entered, he gave her a polite kiss on the cheek and motioned for her to sit down. He then waved for Alice to leave and be about her business.

Once the door closed, "Oh, it is so good to see you Miss Montague."

"And you, Captain Latimer. Now, Alice told me that Francesca has been having nightmares?"

"Yes." Captain Latimer breathed uncomfortably. Anything to do with his children made him that way. After twelve years of being a father, he still didn't know how to act like one. "She won't tell me about them, though. She says they frighten her terribly."

"Most young girls do suffer from nightmares, but do not worry, I will speak to her about them."

Silence filled the room for a bit, with Captain Latimer leaning over the fireplace. Suddenly, he turned to her and asked, "How do you do it?"

Clara was not sure what he was referring to, and thought he was being just a bit upfront. "I beg your pardon?"

A slight blush coated his cheeks and he cleared his throat before clarifying, "Care for children so well. You do it splendidly for one so pretty," he mused.

Clara was surprised to learn that her back could go straighter than it already was, but that's what happened. Oh, this man definitely did fancy her! She still wasn't sure if she could reciprocate the feelings.

Realizing what he had said, Captain Latimer quickly straightened, pulled at his tie and tried to fix his mistake. "Young, I mean."

He looked at Clara nervously, but all she said was, "I think it's best if you focus on your children, Captain Latimer."

He hung his head in shame. "I know. I find it rather difficult, though. They have no wish to speak to me."

Clara rose and came closer to him, hoping that he would find the close proximity comforting. "I am sure that's not true, but… you do have to realize that you are their father. Their mother is gone and they need someone to be there for them. Besides, you know I cannot be here all the time."

He smiled at her again, grateful for her kind words. "I will try my best, Miss Montague."

"Good. Now, where are the children?"

"You will most likely find them at play in the gardens."

"Thank you," Clara told him before departing with a friendly nod of the head and a smile.

Once she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it, taking deep breaths. Oh, what was she going to do about that man? Hearing Alice's footsteps coming around the hall, she quickly took her weight off the door and straightened her skirts. She nodded at the maid as she passed by and then made her way to the gardens.

Digby and Francesca came running to her instantly, crying her name in excitement, but she held out a hand to stop them. She was working on teaching them their manners. Clara knew they would much rather hug her, but in a few years' time it would not be proper.

"Ah-ah-ah. What do we say?"

"Good morning, Miss Montague!" the two of them said eagerly once they were standing in front of her with wide smiles splitting their faces.

Clara reached for each of their hands in turn, shaking them, and wishing them a good morning. After that she crouched down to their level and questioned, "Now, what have you been up to in my absence?"

Digby answered in a rush, beating his older sister to it, "Francesca's having nightmares, I made some more drawings, and we saw a dead cow!"

The last part had Clara taken aback. She widened her eyes and let out a startled, "Oh!"

These children, and the many ways they could amaze her. She couldn't wait to see more of Digby's drawings (hopefully none of them included the dead cow) because he was in fact an adept artist. Well, adept for a boy of ten. She had to get down to the real problem though. She knew that Francesca would tell her about the nightmares.

After a stroll through the gardens that took them to the pond in the front of the house, Clara sat Francesca down by the edge and said, "So, Francesca, tell me about these nightmares."

Digby snorted, finding his sister's distress amusing. Clara shot him a warning look before turning back to Francesca who now looked terribly upset.

"Well," she began, "they're about our old governess. The one that died," she explained. Clara just nodded for her to continue, knowing perfectly well what she was talking about, seeing as Captain Latimer had recounted the horrific events to her.

Francesca opened her mouth to continue, but was rudely interrupted by Digby who seemed to find humor in this.

"The one that died right in that pond," he pointed at the one they were sitting by. "She fell in and then the water froze. She couldn't be found until winter was over and the pond melted. Her body was absolutely gruesome."

"Digby, I know very well what happened. Now, if you don't mind, your sister was talking."

He picked up a stick and started poking the ground with it before mumbling, "Sorry."

Clara nodded her head in approval before once again attending to Francesca. "Please continue."

"She says she's very cross with me. And that she's going to punish me. She's going to come out of the pond and punish me."

This bothered Clara very much. She knew that the previous governess had been no friend to these children. It was curious however, the snowmen and then Francesca's nightmares. Clara leaned over to examine the pond. At first, everything seemed as normal as the sun rising in the morning, but… it was still frozen. Why was it still frozen? She looked around, really taking notice of the garden now. All the snow from the night before had melted. That meant the ice covering the pond should've melted as well. A sinking feeling in her stomach arose when she came to the horrible conclusion that there was a possibility that Francesca's dreams were connected to the snowmen.

"Francesca. This is important. Did she say when she was going to come out of the pond."

Francesca looked terribly frightened when she told her. "Tonight. She says she's coming tonight."

After rushing an explanation of finding someone to help her with her nightmares and telling Alice to inform Captain Latimer that she would be leaving for the day, she went out in search of the Doctor.

Clara had a pretty good idea of where to look. She went back to the park she had followed them to last night. She didn't jump for the ladder, knowing all too well that she would probably fall and embarrass herself greatly. Also, she didn't want others to know it was there. That box on the cloud felt awfully secret.

With a sigh, knowing that she would look like completely mental, she stood right where the ladder came down, looked up and began calling for the Doctor.

People stopped to gape and point at her, but she continued anyway. She desperately needed to speak with him, and besides, she wouldn't mind getting another glance at his all too handsome face.

She was so focused on not paying attention to the people gawking at her that she jumped when a woman dressed all in black came up to her and said, "Oi! Stop that. We don't want to cause a fuss now do we?"

The way the woman looked at her… She knew who she was looking for.

"I'm looking for the Doctor," she told her. "Do you know where I can find him?"

"Follow me," she turned around and began walking quickly, giving Clara no choice, but to follow. The eyes of the people who no doubt thought she was off her rocker followed her, but they began to disperse, seeing that the ruckus was over.

The woman took her to a large house, that was generously decorated with tapestries, candles, and quite some interesting statues. She was greeted by a man who looked very odd. His skin was dark, and he had the appearance of a potato that nature had granted with an ugly face. It did not help that he seemed to be lacking a neck.

The words that came out of his mouth were just as strange and startling as his appearance. "If you try to leave, you will be incinerated." He held out an arm before continuing, "May I take your coat?"

Clara held out her coat in confusion and he took it from before shuffling to another room.

The woman gestured to a room on the left with a courteous, "This way ma'am."

Clara did as she said. She still didn't have a clue what was going on, but this woman knew about the Doctor.

Clara entered the room and was surprised to see it decorated like a jungle. There were big leafy plants everywhere, and the room was humid and just a bit too hot. It wasn't the room however that made her pause in the doorway. It was the woman sitting in the chair across from the entrance. The woman's skin was green and scaly! Just like it was said the dinosaurs were. She didn't possess any hair on her head. Instead it seemed to resemble of a lizard's.

She looked up from the winecup she was holding when Clara entered.

The woman gestured to the chair in front of the green woman, "Sit."

Not really sure what else to do, Clara did as she said. Then, the green woman placed the cup down on a small table located next to the chair.

She spoke, her accent untraceable, "There are two refreshments in your world the color of red wine. This is not red wine."

Blood? Was that what she was drinking? What sort of blood? Clara couldn't help but stare at the cup and hope that it wasn't human blood.

The woman in black had moved behind the chair and spoke to her, "Madame Vastra will ask you questions. You will confine yourself to single word responses. One word only. Do you understand?"

Clara returned her gaze back to the lizard woman, Madame Vastra, before asking, "Why?"

Madame Vastra answered, "Truth is singular. Lies are words, words, words." She then questioned, "You met the Doctor, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And now you've come looking for him again, why?"

Clara didn't know how to answer. Only one word. Hm…

"Take your time," the woman in black told her before reminding, "One word, only."

Ah! Now she had a word.

"Curiosity."

"About?"

"Snow."

"And about him?"

"Yes."

"What do you want from him?"

"Help."

"Why?"

"Danger."

Clara had been answering the questions so fast and she was worried that she was going to fail this test any second now. The next question took her by surprise.

"Why would he help you?"

"Kindness," Clara told them.

Certainly that man was kind. Yes, he had knocked her over the head and kidnapped her, but he helped save her from the snowmen. Despite the darkness that lingered in his eyes, she had seen kindness. Deep down. He was kind. Even if he didn't know he was.

"The Doctor is not kind," was all Madame Vastra told her, but it was enough to make her question.

"No?"

"No. The Doctor doesn't help people. Not anyone, not ever."

_He helped me._ _What is this woman talking about?_

"He stands _above_ this world, and doesn't interfere with the affairs of its inhabitants."

_Above this world? Well, he is staying on a cloud. Is she implying that he comes from the stars? _

After everything she had seen the night before and today, the idea of a man from the stars didn't seem so far fetched.

"He is not your salvation, nor your protector. Do you understand what I am saying to you?"

Clara smiled. She had the perfect answer for this one. Time to throw what Madame Vastra had said back at her.

"Words."

Madame Vastra straightened her back and gave her an approving look, and then looked at the woman behind her.

Clara could only imagine that the woman had nodded because Madame Vastra began to explain, "He was different once. A long time ago. Kind, yes. A hero even. A saver of worlds. But he suffered losses which hurt him. Now, he prefers isolation to the possibility of pain's return. Kindly choose a word to indicate your understanding of this."

Madame Vastra made this man sound so majestic. She could picture it. Hundreds of people, perhaps strange looking ones, crowding around him, trying to thank him in any way they could. She could almost picture what his smile would have looked like; his kind eyes. This poor man was hurt. Everyone hurt when loss touched them. Even with all his interesting ways and his apparent god-like status, that made him one thing that everyone could relate to.

"Man."

Madame Vastra looked to the woman behind her again before informing her. "We are the Doctor's friends. We assist him him in his isolation, but we do not approve of it. So, a test for you. Give me a message for the Doctor. Tell him all about the snow and what fresh danger you believe it presents, and above all, explain why he should help you."

Clara leaned forward, about to spill forward any information that were gain her his help, but she was stopped with a finger to her lips.

"But do it in one word."

Clara widened her eyes.

_One word? How is this going to be possible?_

"You're thinking it's impossible such a word exists, or that you could even find it." Madame Vastra took her finger away from her mouth and stroked her chin in a surprisingly intimate way. "Let's see if the gods are with you."

* * *

><p>The Doctor and Amy sat in the console room together. He was reading, and she just watched him, her knees pulled up to her chest. He had found her crying in her rooms earlier, and had comforted her once again. He could tell she was embarrassed he had found her like that. He knew that it made her feel vulnerable, but now, she was calm. The Doctor read and she watched him. It didn't really bother him that much, and the silence that had draped over the time machine was companionable. That silence was interrupted by a phone call.<p>

The Doctor rolled his eyes, and went to the outside of the TARDIS to grab the phone. He came back in and sat on the chair.

"Who is this?" he asked.

A most familiar voice answered him. "It is me Doctor, Madame Vastra."

"Hello," he didn't really want to talk to her, so he hoped his voice sounded cold when he questioned, "What do you want?"

It wasn't odd that he was getting a phone call from her. He had informed her of Rory's loss and how Amy was still with him. How it was his fault that she was broken. He had stopped by one of the nights when Amy was fast asleep and she had held him as he cried. Thinking about showing weakness to such a strong woman shamed him, but he tried not to think about it. At the time, he had needed her. He still did. She didn't let anyone speak to him-except for Amy-unless he saw need for it.

Ever since Rory's death, he had stopped helping people. Madame Vastra knew that he and Amy had been in the TARDIS for weeks with barely a venture outside. She called every once and a while and he would meet her when Amy was sleeping. Madame Vastra was always giving him desperate, ludicrous examples of danger that barely held truth, and he did not let himself appreciate her attempts to help break him from his darkness. His depression.

Her voice answered, and he could hear her trying her best not to sound offended. "I have administered the one word test."

Oh, that again.

"Always useless."

"I gave it to a girl who said she met you."

Clara? A fire seemed to light in the Doctor's stomach. He was scared to feel anything good again, but he so badly wanted to see Clara. Thinking about her made it so he wasn't so afraid of light. It didn't laugh at him as loudly.

"What did she say?"

The next word that she said made the Doctor almost drop the phone in shock. He just stared at Amy. It was a ridiculous coincidence, but it touched his hearts. This was the word that made him want to help her. To feel the light again.

"Pond."


	4. Chapter 4

"Doctor, where are you going dressed like that?" Amy asked when the Doctor returned from the closet.

He had run off as soon as the phone call ended, muttering about finding something suitable to wear. Now, instead of a long coat, he was wearing a plaid cape, a hat with a flap on the front and the back, and he carried a cane. Amy had to admit, he looked very ridiculous. He had even donned the reading glasses she had given to him.

"I'm going to see Madame Vastra."

"Sure you are," Amy replied sarcastically, knowing that he was definitely up to something. He was either going to investigate or see Clara, possibly both.

He seemed to trip over his next words. "O-of course I am." After composing himself somewhat, "Now, Pond, stay here."

"Of course I'm staying here," Amy told him before giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Be careful."

He smiled at her, genuine excitement in his eyes before he took off.

After he left, Amy wandered the halls of the TARDIS aimlessly. She wasn't sure what to do with herself. There were no more tears left in her for now, and even though she was tired, she was frightened to go to sleep. She knew her mind would conjure up dreams about Rory. All the dreams about him started out wonderful, and they always felt so real, but then he was always taken away from her by monsters and death with never a thing she could do about it.

Amy found herself in the library. She picked up a book and opened it, not even looking at the cover. It had been left out on one of the tables by the Doctor. She started flipping through the pages and stopped abruptly. What she had found, she couldn't take her eyes off of. She thought her heart would shatter into even smaller pieces if she continued looking, but she just couldn't look away either.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there staring at what she had found, but eventually she steeled herself and closed the book.

_Maybe I should take it back to my room._

She glanced around the library looking at the surplus of books that the Doctor had.

_Surely he won't notice if one of them is missing._

After stroking the cover almost fondly, Amy took it back to her room. She sat on her bed for a while, holding it. Not sure whether or not she should open it again.

She was broken from her reverie by a rapping at her door. She quickly shoved the book under her pillow and went to answer it.

When she opened the door, the Doctor was looking more excited than he had in weeks.

He came into her room and started waving his arms about as he told her, "Amy! I've just been investigating a case. A great, big, mysterious case! Ooh, mysterious. That's a nice word. It's about the snow. I met a man called Walter Simeon, runs an organization called the Great Intelligence. That sort of rings a bell, but the man is a total loon! He's building an army of ice to gain control of the world. That's not even the most interesting part. I met his friend, the so-called Great Intelligence. He's a giant talking snowglobe! Well, not really, but he's controlling Simeon. They plan on using human DNA to create a version of the ice that will be much more powerful than the snowmen we came across. And they already know where to start. There's a pond outside of an estate nearby that a governess drowned in and then the pond froze over. This happened last year, and she was in there for months, so traces of her DNA are still in the pond! Oh, it would be a good plan if they didn't have me to worry about."

Despite all the words that flew out of his mouth, Amy managed to piece them together, "So, you're saying that a man is being controlled by a giant talking snowglobe thing and he's going to use DNA from a governess who was frozen in a pond to build an army of ice?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed, glad that she had been able to keep up. "Would you like to investigate with me?" he asked.

Amy could see that he wouldn't take no as an answer, so she just nodded her head and told him, "But I am not getting back into those Victorian clothes."

The Doctor nodded his head. "Understood."

A thought came to mind. She hadn't been paying much attention to his ridiculous outfit earlier, but now she really noticed it. And it was funny.

"Doctor. What have you been doing?" she inquired while circling him.

He looked flustered. "I just told you what I've been doing."

She pointed his outfit up and down. "No, with the outfit."

A blush began to creep up to his cheeks. Oh, she was getting somewhere.

He pulled at his cape before responding, "Nothing."

"Were you pretending to be Sherlock Holmes?"

"No."

"Yes you were, Doctor. How'd that work for you?"

"Fine," he blurted out before putting a hand to his mouth.

Amy found herself laughing again and the Doctor's cheeks reddened even further.

Now he was on the defensive. "So what if I was?"

"How long have you had that costume?"

"What?"

"How long?"

"Um… not long," his answered, his voice adopting the higher pitch it took on when he was lying to her.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Doctor."

The Doctor rubbed his neck sheepishly before replying, "A few hundred years."

Amy laughed again. "Oh, you are such a dork."

The Doctor hurriedly ripped off the cape, took his hat off, and tossed it aside with the cane.

"Meet me in the console room," he told her before rushing out of the room.

* * *

><p>The Doctor didn't go right to the console room. He went to the closet once more and donned the top hat and long coat from earlier, adding a scarf to the outfit this time. He looked at himself in the mirror. Something was wrong with his outfit. It was the tie. He hadn't been wearing the bow tie because it seemed too happy for his state of mind, but he felt himself coming out of his depression. Yes, he knew he was a horrible man, but he was helping people again. And it was all thanks to Clara. That wonderful girl. He still couldn't believe he was doing this and he'd probably be in for a shock later when he really thought about it, but after a few seconds of pondering, he removed the tie and replaced it with an ice-blue bow tie. Ah, that was better.<p>

He went back to the console room where Amy was already waiting for him. He was glad she was coming along. He would've dragged her along anyways, but it was pleasant to see her helping him with this of her own accord. Just like old times. Well, almost.

Amy saw the bow tie and teased, "Oh, we're Mr. Cool again are we?"

"Hm?" he questioned her, not really paying attention to what she said.

The two of them left the TARDIS and descended the staircase and ladder down to Earth. He really liked the cloud. It made him feel superior. Oh, the things Madame Vastra would say to him if she knew he thought that.

It was not long after that the Doctor found himself at the edge of the pond that supposedly had the ice woman growing inside of it. Night had fallen once again, but it was not so dark. Many of the homes were lit up in celebration and some families ate their Christmas meal. The estate the pond was part of was silent, giving him the impression that the family would celebrate tomorrow.

From his vantage point, he could not see into the pond. The ice covering it was very thick. For a second, he could've sworn something moved, but… he couldn't be sure.

Amy stood off to the side, absently walking around. She still wasn't that interested in anything, but at least she was getting some fresh air.

The Doctor had just finished walking around the pond a final time when a light fell on him. He looked around for the source, and found himself looking up through a window to a face that was all too familiar. And that face was looking back at him. It was Clara. His hearts leaped when he saw her, but this wasn't a social visit.

She waved at him and he found himself waving back. Then, she beckoned for him to come up.

_Well, that's a bit too straightforward for a Victorian woman. Oh, Clara._

But, no. He couldn't go up. This wasn't a social visit. He was investigating!

He turned away from her to have an argument with himself.

"No, you're not going up. You're just leaving."

Amy must have heard him because she asked, "Doctor, what is it?"

"Clara has just invited me upstairs to her bedroom," he beamed.

"Doctor, you can't go up. You said it yourself. We only came to investigate."

"I know, but… Clara."

"Doctor, this isn't exactly the right time to fancy a girl."

Amy's eyes blazed. She was mad at him! Or _was _it anger that was in her eyes? No, not anger. Something else. Something similar. Jealousy!

"I know, Amy. I know. Sorry."

He turned back around, and Clara was still smiling at him expectantly. He guessed from her viewpoint, she couldn't see Amy. When the two were around each other he could just feel the tension. If Clara saw her, it would definitely wipe the smile off her face.

Before he even knew what he was doing he waved at her again and gave her a thumbs up.

_What? No, no. I didn't mean to do that!_

He turned around and pointed at his hand angrily, even going as far as to put his thumb in his mouth and bite it. Amy was glaring at him with her arms crossed.

_Oh, you idiot! _

"Amy I-"

"No, Doctor. Just, no. I'm going back to the TARDIS," she told him in a fury before storming off.

He was about to go after her, but he stopped himself. He should allow her time on her own.

Turning back to the window, and straightening his bow tie in an attempt to compose himself, he saw that Clara had already closed the curtains. She was probably all ready for him.

Knowing that being invited into an estate by a woman at night was _definitely _not appropriate for this time period, he took out his sonic screwdriver and snuck in a side door that was probably used by a maid or a butler of some sort.

He wasn't sure what room he was supposed to go to, but was that her voice he heard down the hall? Ooh, it was.

_Maybe I'll hide and surprise her._

He found a sitting room that was just perfect. and there was even an area for a puppet show. This surprise was going to get even better.

* * *

><p>While waiting for the Doctor to show up, Clara decided it was best to tuck in Francesca and Digby for the night.<p>

As she was tucking in Francesca, the girl asked her, "Am I going to have the nightmare tonight?"

After putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, she looked into her eyes and told her, "Definitely not."

She at least hoped that was the truth, the Doctor was going to come up any minute now, so hopefully he'd be able to help. Well, that was _part_ of the reason she invited him in.

"How do you know?"

"Because," she pushed the candle on the bedside table further from the edge before continuing, "someone's coming to help."

Digby came over, knowing that one of her stories were about to be told.

"Who?" Francesca asked.

A story was already beginning to form in her head, and now it was time to have some fun.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Is it one of your stories? Your definitely true ones?"

_Oh, Francesca._

After letting out a fake huff of indignation she told them, "All my stories are true."

"Like you were born behind the clock face of Big Ben?" Digby asked as example.

"Counting for my acute sense of time," Clara explained.

Francesca was ready with another one. "And you invented fish?"

"Because I disliked swimming alone."

"So what's this one?" Digby asked eagerly.

She re-settled herself on the bed so that she was now sitting towards them before beginning her story, "There's a man called the Doctor. He lives on a cloud, in the sky, and all he does all day, every day is to stop all the children in the world ever having bad dreams."

"I've been having bad dreams," Francesca interrupted.

Clara quickly came up with an explanation, "He's been on holiday, but I am confident that he has now returned to work."

She heard the floor outside the bedroom creak, letting her know that the Doctor was right outside the door.

"And as a matter of fact, he's right here." The doors opened at her words, and she turned to them expecting to see the Doctor, "Aren't you, Doctor?"

What stepped into the room was certainly not the Doctor. The children screamed at the sight of it and she was up off the bed in a second. It was a woman made out of ice, and she was furious.

Clara couldn't help the exclamation that came out of her mouth, and her accent had slipped back into the lower class one as well, "Living hell!"

She hurriedly gathered the children behind her. It was her job to protect them.

The ice woman waved a finger at them and said in a furious voice, "The children have been very naughty."

"Just get back, now, quickly," Clara berated Francesca and Digby, inching backwards in an attempt to keep them away from the ice woman who was still approaching.

"You're doing your other voice," Digby exclaimed.

"Yes, love," Clara told him, not really having time to explain, "'Ave you noticed?"

Francesca and Digby desperately grasped the arms that she held out in an attempt to shield them with the ice woman's next words, "Naughty, naughty children!"

The ice woman kept coming closer and she was very scared. She had to get Francesca and Digby out of here.

"Run!"

They made a mad dash out of the room and down the hall to a sitting room. After Francesca and Digby had rushed into the room, Clara slammed the doors shut and locked them, the ice woman still screaming.

"What do we do?" Digby asked.

Luckily, Clara knew just what to do.

She ran over to Francesca and grabbed her arms, telling her very seriously, "Frannie, Frannie, imagine 'er meltin'."

"What?" Francesca questioned, not having a clue what was going on.

Clara put a hand to her head, and told her desperately, "In your 'ead! Melt her!"

"I can't!"

Banging started on the door and the ice woman told them, "I'm getting impatient!"

The door burst open and the ice woman came into the room in her shuffling walk. Clara turned around and put herself in front of Francesca and Digby once more. The two of them clung to her waist in fright.

"You have been very naughty."

"What about the man?" Digby questioned. "You said the man was here. The cloud man."

"Well he's not, is he?"

_Doctor, where are you?_

"Where's the Doctor?" Digby said in a frantic voice.

"I don't know!" Clara didn't mean to shout, but she was really on edge, and the Doctor really wasn't what was important right now. She had to get rid of that ice woman!

"Doctor?" A strange voice said from the puppet stand that was also in the sitting room.

The three of them gasped and turned to it.

The puppet, seemingly unaware of the current danger rubbed its hands together and continued, "Doctor?" Laugh. "Doctor who?"

The puppet went down for a bit and came back up wielding a whizzing, stick-like object that was glowing green. It pointed it at the ice woman who screamed before shattering into a thousand pieces.

Digby and Francesca let out cries of shock and hid themselves behind her even further.

The ice continued to fly as the Doctor popped up next to the puppet, and he spoke, still in the same voice, "That's the way to do it."

Clara was thankful that he had saved them, but she couldn't get over how strange he was. It was especially difficult to ignore when he brought the puppet to his mouth and made it look like the puppet had snogged him! All she could do was widen her eyes and pull her head back in shock.

He pulled the puppet back, "Oi!" He then made it hit him, "Ow."

Now Clara was smiling. The Doctor certainly was funny.

He replaced the weird stick the puppet had been holding into his hand before coming out. Now, he knelt on the floor, the stick glowing and making that whirring noise at the touch of his hand.

The Doctor waved it around at the floor as Francesca asked, "Where did she go? Will she come back?"

He flicked the stick and observed something about it before standing up.

He then answered Francesca, "No, don't worry. She's currently draining through your carpet."

The Doctor flipped the stick and told them words that made little to no sense, "New setting, antifreeze." He pocketed the stick. "You're welcome by the way."

Clara looked up at him, an arm still around Francesca. "I'm very grateful. I knew you'd come."

She wasn't totally sure if she believed that. Best not to let him know that she doubted him.

He brushed past her and said, "No you didn't because I don't, because this isn't the sort of thing I do anymore."

The Doctor was now on the other side of the room and he took off the scarf that had been around his neck.

She was startled when he threw it down on the chair angrily, "And next time you're in trouble don't expect me to…"

Clara saw that he now stood in front of a mirror, and he was gazing at it. Something had made him stop. Something was wrong.

She walked up to him and asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Sorry, it's just. I-I put it on," he told them while pointing at the crooked bow tie he wore. She watched as he straightened it. The Doctor then hung his head sadly, "Old habits."

Clara had been paying attention to what he said, but she noticed something. She was cold.

"It's cooler," she told him.

She looked around the room for an explanation to the sudden cold.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" The Doctor said quietly, obviously misunderstanding what she had said. "It is very cool. Bow ties _are_ cool."

"No, the room," she clarified. "The room's gettin' colder."

Suddenly, a large lump began forming underneath the carpet, raising it up as it grew. Oh know. That could only mean…

"She's coming back!" Digby shouted, his thoughts mirroring hers.

"What's she going to do? Is she going to punish me?" Francesca asked.

Clara held the children back and the Doctor took out the stick again.

He pointed it at the almost human-sized lump. "Uh…" he banged it on his hand, apparently it wasn't doing what it was supposed to. He waved it at the ice woman again, "Uh… She learned not to melt. Course she's not really a governess," he began explaining as he raced behind them and put the stick back in his pocket, "She's just a beast." he said, his hands now on Francesca's and Digby's shoulders. He then looked at Francesca and answered her question, "She's going to eat you." The Doctor then grabbed the children's hands. "Run."

The four of them ran out of the sitting room, and down the hall to the stairs.

Francesca and Digby reached the bottom of the stairs, where they ran into their father. Apparently the ruckus upstairs had alerted him to something.

He saw his children out of bed and immediately questioned, "Children, what is the expla-?" His eyes fell on the Doctor. "Who the devil are you? What are you doing in my house?"

_Oh dear God. I hope the Doctor has a good explanation._

"It's okay!" the Doctor assured. He then pointed at her and continued, "I am your governess' gentleman friend."

_What?!_

"We've just been upstairs… kissing!"

_What?! That's hardly proper!_

Clara looked at Captain Latimer worriedly. Oh, how she wished the Doctor had not said that. She would probably be fired for impropriety. It didn't help one bit that he fancied her.

Alice came running in and announced. "Captain Latimer, in the garden! There's snowmen!" She then ran off to get the doorbell while continuing to inform them. "And they're just growing out of nowhere! All by themselves! Look!"

Clara couldn't see who was at the door, or hear what was said, but she guessed from the scream that it was something very not good.

That was when the strange, brown, potato-looking fellow from earlier came up to the side of the stairs. "This dwelling is under attack." By now Alice was in front of her and he said, "Remain calm human scum."

Clara then saw why she had screamed at the door. Vastra and the woman in black had now entered the house to join their potato-thing. She then was startled when Alice let out another scream and fainted.

She was about to go check on her, but the Doctor beat her to it, and she watched anxiously from the stairs.

She must have been fine because the Doctor then put a hand on Captain Latimer's shoulder and asked, "So, any questions?"

That was when Captain Latimer turned to her!

"You have a gentleman friend?" he asked in a slightly breathless tone.

_Men! So unbelievable. In the midst of danger and he wonders about me!_

"Vastra, what's happening?" the Doctor asked, making his way to the window in the hall.

Vastra answered him, "The snow is highly localized and on this occasion not naturally occurring."

"It's comin' out o' that cab parked by the gates," the other woman informed them.

Then the potato-thing spoke. "Sir, one pulver grenade would blow these _snowmen_ to smithereens!"

The Doctor went over to him and explained, "They're snow, Strax!"

_Oh, so that's its name._

"They're already smithereens!" the Doctor said in exasperation, then turned to her, "See Clara! Our friends again."

_Oh know. Not my real name. No, no!_

Apparently Captain Latimer heard the name the Doctor had used. "Clara? Who's Clara?"

Clara opened her mouth to explain, but the Doctor beat her to it. Why did he have to know? "Your current governess is in reality a former barmaid called Clara."

Captain Latimer just gawked at her and she smiled uncomfortably. Yep, definitely going to lose her job.

A voice behind her caused her to jump and turn around. It was the ice woman. She backed down a few steps as the ice woman continued to come forward.

"That's the way to do it," she said.

The Doctor then snapped his fingers and pointed at the ice woman and continued to explain, "Meanwhile, your previous governess is now a living ice sculpture impersonating Mr. Punch."

_What does that even mean?_

"Jenny, what have you got?"

The woman in black, presumably Jenny, held up a strange object. It was small and round and glowed pink. After showing the Doctor, she threw it. It went flying over her head and landed on the stairs, breaking and sending out something pink that trapped the ice governess.

"That should hold it," Jenny told him.

Strax then came out of the study and said, "Sir, this room. One observational window on the line of attack, and one defendable entrance."

"Right, everyone in there, now. Move it," the Doctor ordered. "You," he said while pointing at Captain Latimer, "carry her."

Clara made her way to the study with Captain Latimer behind her. He was carrying an unconscious Alice.

After dumping her unceremoniously on a chair he poured himself a drink.

"Clara-" he began.

"Not now," she told him.

Francesca and Digby were sitting in a large armchair together and she had to comfort them.

The Doctor then walked into the room and began pouring himself a drink while asking, "Stax, how long have we got?"

"They're not going to attack. They have made no attempt to conceal their arrival. An attack force would never abandon surprise so easily. And they're clearly in a defense formation."

Clara watched in slight amusement-despite the tension and rushing about-as the Doctor put his drink down and began pretending to punch Stax. After telling him he'd done well, he then rubbed his head somewhat affectionately and kissed it!

After releasing him, Strax said, "Sir, please do not noogi me during combat prep."

"So there's something here they want," Madame Vastra explained.

Clara knew what they wanted.

"The ice woman," she told them.

The Doctor agreed, "Exactly."

"Why is she so important?" Jenny asked.

The Doctor took a sip of his drink before answering, "Because she's a perfect duplication of human DNA in ice crystal form. The ultimate form." He then handed his half empty wine glass to Captain Latimer. "The ultimate fusion of snow and humanity." Now he was looking at himself in the mirror again. He turned to them once more. "To live here the snow needs to evolve. And she's the blueprint. She's what they need to become."

The Doctor now stood next to her and she tried her best not to look at him. She knew she would only get distracted and this was certainly no time to fancy a mental, yet clever and dashing fellow such as him.

What he said next was directed at her. "When the snow melted last night did the pond?"

"No," she answered, still trying her best not to look.

"Living ice that will never melt. If the snow gets hold of that creature on the stairs it will learn to make more of them."

Oh, now she couldn't help but look. It would seem rude if she didn't. Why did he have to be so handsome?

_No, Clara. Think about the snow. You're in danger!_

"It will build an army of ice, and it will be the last day of humanity on this planet."

Clara just stared. The end of humanity? This situation was far worse than she had originally thought.

The doorbell rang again and the Doctor cracked his neck before ordering, "Stay here."

As soon as he left the room Clara gathered her skirts and followed him out, the door closing behind her.

He turned around. "Oi, I told you to stay in there."

She brought herself closer to him and told him, "Oh. I didn't listen."

"You do that a lot." He stepped closer.

"That's why you like me." She stepped closer.

"Who says I like you?" Another step.

Now was as good a chance as ever. Clara grabbed the Doctor's face and brought his lips to hers. She knew it wasn't at all proper, but she really couldn't help herself. The Doctor was just so handsome and his personality intrigued her. He struggled against her as the kiss continued, but she managed to grab his lips a few times. They were nice lips. She hadn't kissed many men before, but she had to admit that his lips were very soft. After a while she stopped kissing him, but she kept her hands on his shoulders. Meanwhile, he looked at her in complete shock.

"I think you just did," she answered him.

"You kissed me."

"You blushed."

It was true. The Doctor was blushing madly and there was a slight gleam in his eyes.

"And we just-" he put a finger to her lips before straightening and removing her hands from his shoulders.

Clara was a bit disappointed at that. His shoulders _were_ really, very nice.

He then straightened his bow tie, and told her, "Shut up," before running off.

After giggling in happiness to herself she ran off after him. What danger was this man going to get her into this time?


End file.
